View full sizeThe Associated PressMonday's loss to the Wizards couldn't have been more different than Friday's symphony of basketball. Maybe it's because most of us on Pacific Standard Time were still wiping the sleep from our eyes or finishing that second cup of coffee by the time the game tipped. Or maybe it was because Monday's loss to the Wizards lacked the flow and continuity of Friday's win over the Magic.

Whatever it was, it wasn't the way Portland wanted to start this four-game road trip. But, if you'll remember, the Blazers' last road swing (3-1) began with the same result. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

The Blazers prevailed in the majority of key "hustle" statistical categories (rebounds, steals, blocks, assists), which usually points to victory. But in three categories where this game was won, Portland fell short: three-point shooting, points in the paint & free throws.

It's not that Washington shot the lights out from deep (2-8), it's that Portland (3-17) continued to draw iron (1-8 from 3 in the fourth) down the stretch while the Wizards chose to attack the rim. This offensive aggressiveness from Washington led to a 46-30 advantage in points in the paint, and 12 more free throw attempts (11 of their 27 points in the final quarter came from the line). Paging Brandon Roy ...

The Blazers relied too much on jump shots, which weren't falling, and rarely penetrated on the Wizards' defense in the early going. They didn't attempt a free throw until Aldridge made two with 6:02 left in the first half and managed just 16 attempts in the game.

But, a little before noon Portland time, the Blazers finally started to wake up. Andre Miller, who had been slowed by foul trouble in the first half, found his groove, tossing alley-oop lobs and attacking the basket. Martell Webster started swishing jumpers and Aldridge, who was solid throughout, was sometimes dominant.

The Blazers closed the third quarter with a 14-4 run, turning a seven-point deficit into a 73-70 lead entering the fourth. Miller had 10 consecutive Blazers points at one point during the burst, mixing aggressive drives with key jumpers, and when he dished a no-look pass to Aldridge on a fast-break, Aldridge finished with an emphatic two-handed dunk to give the Blazers their first lead of the second half, 70-68.

But two things betrayed the Blazers in the fourth -- defense and execution. After Webster swished a three-pointer with 4:01 remaining, giving the Blazers an 88-85 lead, the Wizards used a 9-2 run to secure the win.

Now, with Tuesday's off day before Wednesday's game at Philadelphia, Roy will have nearly seven days since he last played against Milwaukee. The feeling between McMillan and Jensen was if they had survived holding Roy out for four days, why not make it six?

Come Wednesday, though, Roy said there will be no debate. No training room quiz. No nothing.

As good as Andre Miller was in the second half (where he scored 20 of his 22 points), not having the option of going to Brandon down the stretch was glaring in this contest. Miller's 22 were matched by LaMarcus Aldridge's 22 and 15 rebounds, but they were unable to gain any momentum late in the game.

Washington, meanwhile, has continued to play better and better without Gilbert Arenas. After talking to several people close the Wizards team, we were told that Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler were finally starting to get in the groove. The craziness of Arenas had been weighing the team down, and that now both players were being given the room and freedom to attack without pressure.

Jamison, who's been one of the hotter players in the east in the last couple of weeks, scored 28 on the Blazers, and Butler had 18 points and 9 rebounds. The strategy was obviously to attack the rim, where Portland is very thin. Without shot blockers to deter drives to the rim, the Wizards outscored the Blazers in the points-in-the-paint category 46-30.

Portland lost this game by giving up 51.5% shooting to a team with only two guys who can score. Portland lost this game by going 3-17 on threes. Portland lost this game by earning only 16 foul shots on an afternoon when the refs were awarding them for any aggressive move (Washington had 28). Portland lost this game by giving up a 46-30 deficit in points in the paint. The Blazers rebounded better, kept the turnovers even, and matched the scoring of Washington's main guys with their own. They just couldn't defend and didn't attack hard enough on offense and that was it.

The Wiz really did play some fantastic D in places. They threw some zone into the early mix, which the Blazers busted with ball movement, but once they got used to Miller’s unconventional-ness, Portland was often down to needing bailout shots. In the last two minutes, the Blazers had a possession where Miller, Bayless and Aldridge each touched the ball at least twice, none of them gaining more than a couple feet of space or penetration. That possession resulted in Portland’s three best playmakers doing nothing, and Miller launching a 27-footer from the top of the key. With the jumpers from their 35-point third quarter not there and the Wizards working the paint, the chances of winning dwindled with each passing minutes of the final period.

Close down the stretch, Caron Butler brought things home for the Wizards. Another one of those baseline jumpers from the triple-threat position that I rarely agree with (the rim rarely agrees with him either, at least this year), and a good drive to put Portland away. Antawn Jamison had 28 points, Mike Miller managed 13 points on just four shot attempts, and the Blazers just didn't score well enough to pull it out.

Caron Butler drove around the baseline and tossed up an awkward hook shot that bounded flatly off the rim. Butler recovered the rebound and tapped the ball off the backboard, only to watch it curve off the rim again. He aggressively jumped again, fighting off a crowd of taller players, and made sure the ball went in on the third try.

Butler logged nearly 42 minutes on Monday afternoon, but as the game wore down, he appeared to find the energy to persevere, scoring four of his 18 points in the final 69 seconds to help the Wizards defeat the Portland Trail Blazers, 97-92. He made a 20-foot jumper over Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge and later converted a critical tip-in with 42.9 seconds remaining that served as the decisive basket as the Wizards won their second game in row before a season-low 12,209 at Verizon Center.

In the past seven games, the Wizards have held five opponents below 100 points. Coach Flip Saunders said that the Wizards are starting to form their identity, with him having to use 17 different lineups, including four since Arenas was suspended indefinitely on Jan. 6.

The Portland Trailblazers came into this game intending to compensate for a depleted front court. Both Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla were out due to injury which left them with a small lineup. This would seem like an opportunity for Brendan Haywood but he had a tough afternoon dealing with LaMarcus Aldridge and veteran Juwan Howard. Howard was able to grab six rebounds to pair with seven points but it was Aldridge who owned the paint.

The three-year man out of Texas was unstoppable for most of the game, out-rebounding the Wizards down low and spreading the floor with his jumpshot. Aldridge scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first three quarters. In the fourth period he was held scoreless. Keeping Aldridge in check was pivotal in the Wizards’ victory. Him being a non-factor offensively allowed the Wizards to keep Portland to just 19 fourth quarter points and squeeze out the close victory.

There are games without Brandon Roy, and then there are games without Brandon Roy. Friday's Roy-less victory over Orlando was handled with a casual ease by the short-handed Blazers, but Roy's absence today was absolutely stunning and felt for all 48 minutes. As the clock wasted away, the Blazers seemed downright frightened by the concept of closing out a nail-biter without Roy—or Travis Outlaw—on the court to take charge. In the final 90 seconds of a very winnable game, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, and Jerryd Bayless couldn't build upon solid individual efforts when it counted the most. It's hard to win a close game when no one particularly wants to shoot the ball—with the exception being Bayless recklessly plowing through traffic and hoping for a whistle to bail him out. Roy was missed terribly today.